A Vietnam veteran from Lincoln Park is turning 80 this month, and his family is hoping to make it a memorable celebration with help from the community.

Robert Carson will celebrate his milestone birthday on Monday, August 25, and his family has made a simple request: send him a birthday card.

"I'm going to be 80," Carson said.

His ex-wife, Paulette DeBaldo-Carson, initiated the effort with a Facebook post that quickly garnered hundreds of responses within just one day.

"I just thought, wouldn't it be a great thing for him to get at least 80 birthday cards for his 80th birthday? To make him know that he matters," DeBaldo-Carson said.

She explained that Vietnam veterans didn't receive the respect they deserved when returning home, and she wants Carson to feel appreciated now.

"Even one

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